


Prisoner Number 49077

by TakesInLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-War, Divorce, F/M, Family, Gen, One Shot, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-16
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-12 06:57:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakesInLight/pseuds/TakesInLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione Granger - thirty-six years old and the Auror partner of Harry Potter. When a delicate and personal case is assigned to them, it is difficult for both Aurors. The Objective: Capture Ginny Weasley, who has gone crazy after her divorce. How? The two have to ask the person they want to see the least in order to catch her - Ronald Weasley. Hermione's ex-husband and a prisoner of Azkaban.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prisoner Number 49077

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for a contest over at a Harry Potter page on Facebook and has been previously published on my Tumblr. Therefore, you might have seen this before. Art also belongs to me. Please enjoy :) Comments are appreciated.

 

    

 

The clock kept ticking and the leg kept tapping.

Hermione Weasley née Granger was perturbed, agitated, distressed and countless of other words that her inner thesaurus kept supplying to describe her current state of unease.

At the age of thirty-six, she was an accomplished woman. Mother of two and the Auror partner of her best friend Harry Potter; Hermione did more than her fair share for the Wizarding World. The Order of Merlin First Class that stood in her living room could vouch for that – along with other awards and praises that accumulated over the years.

She was also a divorced woman who was about to have a meeting with her ex-spouse.

Azkaban Prisoner Number 49077.

Ronald Billius Weasley, age thirty-six and father of two.

Life sentence in Azkaban, served two years of that already.

Hermione swallowed and crossed her legs. Her foot kept tapping on the white tiles. She leaned back and looked at the clock. Folded her hands in her lap. Unfolded them. Checked that she had her wand. Glanced at the clock again. Shared a look with her Auror partner.

Across the room stood Harry Potter. In a state of unease similar to Hermione’s, he wasn’t as good at not showing it. He kept staring at the door with his arm folded, jaw locked tightly and shoulders tensed. He kept tugging on the collar of his Auror uniform every few minutes. He was just as uncomfortable as she was regarding seeing Ron again. Harry and Ron were best friends back in the day – he was Harry’s best man at the wedding and vice versa.

It just all went down the drain one day.

“How long?” asked Harry, his voice clipped and cold.

“Should be here just about now.” Hermione replied, her voice having a similar quality to his.

The man nodded. Damn, he thought, this whole situation was wrong. Why did they have to pick him and Hermione for it? He rubbed the finger where his wedding band used to be. Oh right, that’s why.

The door opened suddenly and the two Aurors tensed, eyes locking at the door. A man in rags was sent through by another Auror. Magic suppressing shackles on wrists, the man looked like hell. Ron. He did indeed look awful, his lanky frame being just bones with freckled skin stretched over them. Ginger hair and beard were a dirty, greasy long mess. His blue eyes were hollow, the same as the day he was sent to Azkaban – the last time Hermione has saw him.

Hermione almost winced when she saw a thin piece of rope sticking out of the rags from around her ex-husband’s neck. She knew exactly what was on it: his wedding band. A beautiful gold band with three tiny rubies encrusted in it and words etched on the inside of the metal ring.

_I will love you, forever and always._

She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to think about it. Forget what you felt for that man, ignore the memories of the wedding day – which were vivid in her mind like they just happened yesterday. It would not help the case, at all. She had to be professional.

“Still with Potter, I see?” Ron’s voice was hoarse, unused. “Is he that good in bed or are you just desperate?”

His words hurt – and not only her. Harry looked like he wanted to punch the living daylights out of the ginger man. Hermione was not surprised; Harry was tensed for months now and words like that did not help one bit.

“Refrain from spreading lies, Ronald.” said Hermione in response, trying to keep her voice calm. Her heart clenched in her chest as she caught Ron’s accusing look – why did this hurt so much?

“Whatever, Hermione.”

“You know why you are here.” She stated, as a way of starting things – properly.

The ginger man leaned back with a smug look on his face. “Actually, I have no idea.” He smiled, although that did not reach his eyes. The blue orbs remained devoid of emotion. “Enlighten me.”

“Damn it all, Ron!” Harry snapped suddenly. “For Merlin’s sake, you know _exactly_ why you are here and not still rotting in Azkaban!”

Ron remained silent. The smile never left his face and although the greasy tresses of hair shielded his eyes, Hermione could bet that they were still emotionless. She didn’t say anything about Harry’s outburst, as much as she wanted to. He was not the enemy there and in all honesty, the quicker Ron helped the faster she could get out of there and forget all about Ron and her feelings towards him.

“Maybe you’re right,” The redhead hummed. “Why don’t you refresh my memory?”

Harry slammed his hand into the table, making both Ron and Hermione jump. His whole body was shaking with pent up rage. Anger that was accumulated over months – since the case started.

“Damn it all, damn you and your sister to hell!” The green-eyed Auror growled out. “You’re the only person in the fucking world right know who can have any idea where Ginny is. I’m clueless, your other brothers are clueless. You help us catch her and your sentence will be shortened. You refuse to cooperate and I’ll personally haul your ass back to Azkaban.”

There was silence, sans Harry’s deep, angry breathing. Ron said nothing and Hermione was long in thoughts of her own. The case. She remembered the time that it was opened. Eleven months ago – nearly a year and the case was still open and not even close to the final objective.

When Harry divorced Ginny a year ago when he caught her cheating on him, the girl went absolutely crazy. At first, it was little things. However her explosive and dangerous behaviour quickly escalated from bad to worse.

It crossed the line when she almost blew up Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st last year. ‘To get Harry’s attention’, apparently. Thirty people including Hogwarts students got injured and two died. Her own son – Albus- was caught in a _Fiendfyre_ that Ginny let out. Half of his face, left arm and left side of his chest was burnt and now was terribly scarred. It was a miracle that he survived.

Since that day, Ginny disappeared and was only seen when she reappeared to cause more Bellatrix Lestrange-esque havoc in order to get noticed by Harry. Hermione knew that Harry’s patience was wearing thin with every day passing and although he loved his crazy, cheating ex-wife with all his broken heart, he wouldn’t hesitate to give her a one-way ticket to Azkaban.

She destroyed the order he worked so hard to maintain since the end of the war. But most importantly, she hurt his child and he would never forgive her that.

“Scarborough.”

Hermione looked at Ron dumbfounded. “What?” She asked in disbelief.

“Ginny always talked of wanting to go to Scarborough. She’s very likely to have holed up in there.” Ron explained, not looking at either Auror.

Harry was out of the room in a flash. The door shut behind him loudly, leaving Hermione alone with Ron.

“So, how have you been?” asked Ron, his voice almost a whisper. He didn’t look at her. Actually, his whole body was angled away from her. It made her heart sink.

“I’ve…” She hesitated. “I’ve been well.”

“And the kids?”

“They’re healthy. Rosie got into Gryffindor this year.”

She didn’t mention the fact that Rosie wanted her dad back. Or how Hugo still didn’t understand why he was gone. Two years, two years and her kids still woke up in the middle of the night wanting their dad to comfort the,. A dad that would never be there for them anymore.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Ron’s tired face. “That’s my girl.”

Hermione fumbled with her thumbs awkwardly as the conversation fell into an uncomfortable silence. She hated that feeling of discomfort that she felt when around Ron, it made her breakfast do somersaults in her stomach. She didn’t really feel like dispensing half-digested Kellogg’s all over the table – and Ronald.

Deciding that there was no point in staying, Hermione stood up. Ron looked up at her with those blue eyes, his mouth opening to speak.

“Hermione, regardless of what I did –“

“I don’t want to hear it, Ronald.”

“–I still love you. I always will.”

Hermione hesitated with opening the door. Half of her wanted to lunge at the redheard whispering the same words, crying and showering him with kisses. The other half of her knew that it was wrong.

Hermione opened the door.

“Just…just remember that Hermione.” Ron said. “And…if you don’t find her in Scarborough then look in cities around the coast of England. One with old ruins and castles and stuff like that. Only in England, she wouldn’t go to Scotland, Wales or Cornwall.”

Hermione left the room, shutting the door behind her with a bang.

…

It’s been a month since Ron was let out of Azkaban.

He was locked in a room inside the Ministy’s Auror Department. It was far more agreeable than his Azkaban cell – it had a bed and a mini bathroom type thing. It wasn’t a luxurious hotel room, but it was heaven compared to the filth he lived in for the past two years.

He got a shower, first one in two years. He got fresh clothes and a shave. He felt a new man, even though nothing, but his appearance has changed.

His wedding band was still safely on the rope around his neck – the only personal possession he was allowed to take with him to Azkaban. The only thing that he owned. His wand, all his other possessions were burned or gotten rid of in some other way. He owned nothing anymore.

The door opened without a single knock. Ron didn’t look up from where he was sat. The footsteps were light, a slight click with every step – a female. He could guess easily who it was, only one woman in this building would try to back away twice before reaching him.

“Hello Hermione.”

“We found Ginny.”

“That’s good. I guess I should get ready to go back to Azkaban.”

“We also found evidence that it might not have been you that killed all those people two years ago.”

Well that caught his attention.

Ron turned to face Hermione, who looked lovely as ever in her Auror uniform. So clean cut, so perfect in every way. Apart from her face – the sour face didn’t suit her. What he wanted to see on her face was a smile.

Directed at him.

“Oh?” He made a questioning noise. “Didn’t I confess to killing those people two years ago?”

“You could be covering for someone.” Hermione stated. “Someone like your sister.”

Ron had to choke back a laugh. “Ginny? Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t she go crazy a year ago, not two?”

“Let’s face it, she might have been long gone years ago. The evidence is pointing towards her…although we didn’t realise it two years ago.” confessed Hermione. Ron knew that she felt guilty, for failing on catching the real culprit and putting him to jail.

Ron nodded, not giving anything away. He wasn’t agreeing with her, however he wasn’t saying no to it either. He wanted for her to decide for herself whether he did it or not.

He’s not going to make this any easier for the Aurors.

“So, have you been covering for her?” asked Hermione, tired of waiting for him to say something.

Ron looked Hermione straight in the eye and grinned. “I would do anything for my sister.”

…

On the bed, she was laid like a doll haphazardly tossed onto the sheets. Her frizzy brown hair formed a halo around her face and her limbs stuck out at odd angles while only half of her was covered by the duvet.

Hermione Granger couldn’t sleep.

It’s been three days since she got longer than three hours sleep. She was on the verge of passing out. Although her body refused to give her that pleasure.

It’s been three days since Ronald got cleared of all charges and Ginny was sent to Azkaban for all her crimes. It’s also been three days since Ron walked out of the Ministry and promptly disappeared.

Great.

There was a knock on the door, Hermione didn’t look up. The soft footsteps of her children entering the room reached her ears. “Mummy?” She heard Rosie’s voice. “You got a letter.”

Closing her eyes, Hermione sighed before sitting up in her bed. Her children crawled through the covers on the messy bed to her and handed her a parchment envelope. Curious as to who sent it to her, she opened. What was inside made her breathing stop for a second.

_Hermione,_

_You probably figured out already who it is by the handwriting, you were always so clever._

_You’re also probably wondering why I disappeared three days ago. Here is why:_

_I was the one who killed them people two years ago. Ginny was there, but she was trying to stop me. I oblivated her of that day. I was never good at it. I’m probably the reason why she went so crazy._

_You’re probably wondering why I killed them. I never did explain it two years ago, did I?_

_They were insulting you. Threatening you, our children and Harry! Our entire family. Merlin, Hermione they came up to my face telling me that it would have been better if You-Know-Who won. They were practically Death Eaters waiting to happen._

_I had to do something._

_Merlin, Hermione I love you. But I can’t stay in England. Not like that. I love you, remember that._

_Tell the kids that their dad loves them._

_Ron_

She didn’t know what to think when she finished the letter.

“Mummy? Why are you crying?” asked Hugo, hugging her.

Hermione shook her head, wiping the tears off her face. “It’s nothing Hugo.” Then she looked both of her children in the eyes, while hugging them close to herself.

“Daddy says he loves you.”

 


End file.
